BSc Human Biology (Including Foundation Year)

Our BSc Human Biology (including foundation year) is open to Home and EU students. It will be suitable for you if your academic qualifications do not yet meet our entry requirements for the three-year version of this course and you want a programme that improves your English language and academic skills.

This four-year course includes a foundation year (known as Year Zero) which is delivered by our Essex Pathways Department, followed by a further three years of study in our School of Life Sciences. During Year Zero, you study three academic subjects relevant to your chosen course as well as a compulsory academic skills module, with additional English language for non-English speakers. After successful completion of Year Zero, you progress to complete your course with our School of Life Sciences.

Your three years with our School of Life Sciences will enable you to understand the structure and function of the human body, from the cells and molecules that perform the chemical reactions for life, to the mechanisms of disease and how our immune system fights infection. This course builds on the foundations of biology to explore the complexity of the human body using cutting-edge technology. You learn how recent advances in understanding our genetic make-up and cellular function is leading to exciting new developments in treating and preventing human disease.

Our School of Life Sciences will provide you with a cellular and disease-focused understanding of human biology, covering topics including:

• Anatomy and physiology
• Cell biology
• Genetics
• Immunology
• Microbiology

A major research area at Essex is centered on the relationships between protein structure and mechanisms of disease. This sheds light on the complex cellular pathways involved in cancer and brain cell damage. Another research area uses computational approaches to study the role of epigenetics and DNA structure in human disease. In your final year, you carry out an individual research project. Popular topics have ranged from mutagenesis of proteins linked to human diseases such as blindness and cancer and mechanisms of cell death and antibiotic resistance.

Visit our biological sciences subject page for more information and content.